In December 2015, WEAVE was chosen to establish and operate the 24/7 Anti-trafficking Response Team (ART) to respond to youth victims of sex trafficking and those at risk of sex trafficking.  WEAVE’s role is to provide 24/7 response to a safe location when a potential juvenile sex trafficking victim is identified by area law enforcement, CPS or other agency.

During Big Day of Giving this year, we launched some critical information about sex trafficking and our ART program. Thanks to all of the generous support of our community, we raised over $37,000 to help support the ART program and ensure survivors have access to a reliable and consistent Advocate. We will be keeping our supporters updated about this critical program as it evolves.

An ART Advocate’s role is critical as this person will stay with the victim throughout the process from the time of identification until an intervention plan is established and implemented. The consistency is imperative as juvenile victims may intersect with multiple systems (CSEC Courts, CPS, Probation, Youth Detention Facility, etc.) with different case workers assigned throughout the process. The system can be overwhelming to the adults involved and expecting a young victim to understand and navigate the system with any level of trust requires consistency. The WEAVE ART Advocate will be that consistent support person responsible for helping explain each step of the various systems, what the victim can expect, and to help the victim participate in decision making and regain some aspect of control in their young lives. Equally important, the ART Advocate will be a support person who does not judge the young victim and works with them to understand that the experiences they were forced into need not define their lives nor dictate their future.